The present disclosure relates to semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating the same, and more particularly, to non-volatile memory devices and methods of fabricating the same.
Semiconductor devices enjoy widespread use in the electronics industry as a result of advantageous characteristics such as amenability to miniaturization, multi-functional capability, low manufacturing cost, and the like. Semiconductor devices can include, for example, memory devices that store logic data, logic devices that perform logic operations, hybrid devices that include both memory elements and logic elements, and other devices.
As the electronics industry continues to advance, the desired performance constraints placed on the characteristics of semiconductor devices continues to increase. For example, semiconductor devices are driven to operate at ever-higher speeds, and with greater reliability. However, the critical dimension of patterns used in semiconductor devices continues to be reduced due to the continuing trend toward ever-higher integration density. Therefore, it is increasingly difficult to realize semiconductor devices that operate at higher frequency and with more favorable reliability.